MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR PARKING LOTS

New Orleans City Code ch. 26, art. VII

in effect

New Orleans City Code § 26-481 Definitions.

Sec. 26-481. - Definitions. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: Central business district is defined as the areas generally known as the downtown development district dictated by the boundaries contained in R.S. 33:2740.3, which provides that the point of beginning shall be at the intersection of the east bank of the Mississippi River and the Mississippi River bridge approaches and Pontchartrain Expressway: thence continuing in a northwesterly direction along the upper line of the Pontchartrain Expressway right-of-way, less and except ramp areas, to the lakeside right-of-way line of South Claiborne Avenue; thence proceed northeasterly along the lake side of said right-of-way line of South Claiborne Avenue, continuing across Canal Street along North Claiborne Avenue to the northeast right-of-way line of Iberville Street; thence proceed southeasterly along the northeast right-of-way line of Iberville Street to the centerline of the Basin Street right-of-way, proceeding northeasterly to the centerline of the Conti Street right-of-way; thence proceed southeasterly to the centerline of the North Rampart Street right-of-way, proceeding to the northeast right-of-way line of Iberville Street; thence along the said northeast right-of-way line of Iberville Street to the east bank of the Mississippi River; thence continuing along the east bank of said river to the right-of-way line of the Mississippi River Bridge approaches and Pontchartrain Expressway, being the point of beginning. Parking lot means all areas which are used for the parking [of] motorized vehicles, for which the owner, lessee, tenant or operator thereof receives consideration of any compensation and/or the use of such area for the purpose of parking motorized vehicles thereon. (Code 1956, § 11-40; M.C.S., Ord. No. 23783, § 1, 11-5-09; M.C.S., Ord. No. 24428, § 1, 6-2-11)

New Orleans City Code § 26-482 Reserved.

New Orleans City Code § 26-483 Entrances, exits, interior drives, plantings, and curb cuts of parking lots.

Sec. 26-483. - Entrances, exits, interior drives, plantings, and curb cuts of parking lots. For the health, safety and welfare of the community, each parking lot shall have at least one entrance and/or exit. Multiple lots of record that are contiguous to each other may share entrance(s) and/or exit(s) as approved by the department of public works. All entrances and/or exits must be approved by the department of public works (traffic engineering) for location, and the department of safety and permits for construction. All parking lots shall be separated from walkways, sidewalks, streets, or alleys by a wall, fence, excluding chain-link fencing, landscaping, curbing wheel stops or any combination thereof, approved by the department of public works, safety and permits, and the Central Business District Historic Landmarks Commission when applicable, so as to prevent all vehicles parked thereon from protruding over publicly owned areas. To mitigate against the negative impacts of surface parking lots, each parking lot that abuts two converging public rights-of-way, including, but not limited to, sidewalks, shall provide for a minimum of one drought-tolerant shade tree of no less than two inches caliper, subject to the approval of the department of parks and parkways. Curb cuts shall be limited to as few as possible, as determined by the department of public works. Rollover curbs shall not be permitted. Curb cuts may have a maximum width of 24 feet for two-way circulation, and 12 feet for one-way. All interior drives shall be of adequate width to serve a particular design arrangement of parking spaces, as approved by the department of public works. (Code 1956, § 11-42; M.C.S., Ord. No. 24430, § 1, 6-2-11)

New Orleans City Code § 26-484 Lighting and maintenance.

Sec. 26-484. - Lighting and maintenance. (a) For the health, safety and welfare of the community, [in] any parking lot located in the Central Business district operating on a daily basis after 7:00 p.m., adequate lighting shall be provided, subject to the approval of the department of safety and permits. The lighting shall be arranged to eliminate glare on residential property by location of light fixtures or use of fixtures designed to eliminate direct view of luminaries in fixtures from residential property. (b) For the health, safety and welfare of the community, all parking lots shall be maintained in a clean and orderly condition at the expense of the owner, lessee, tenant or operator and not used for the sale, repair or dismantling of any vehicle. A minimum of one affixed litter receptacle shall be included; the placement and material thereof are subject to the approval of the department of safety and permits, but shall not be on the public right-of way. The parking lot operator shall be responsible for the regular emptying of such litter receptacle(s). (Code 1956, § 11-43; M.C.S., Ord. No. 24431, § 1, 6-2-11)

New Orleans City Code § 26-485 Additional requirements of zoning ordinance.

Sec. 26-485. - Additional requirements of zoning ordinance. Any parking lot that is legally operating by virtue of a conditional use ordinance passed by the council, in addition to the minimum health and safety requirements contained herein, shall also comply with the requirements contained in such conditional use ordinance. (Code 1956, § 11-43.1; M.C.S., Ord. No. 24432, § 1, 6-2-11)

New Orleans City Code § 26-486 Temporary extensions for compliance.

Sec. 26-486. - Temporary extensions for compliance. Any parking lot(s) in existence on the effective date of the ordinance from which this section is derived may apply for a temporary extension to comply with the provisions of this article. Such extension may be secured from the department of safety and permits and shall not exceed a period of 12 months. If a further extension is required, the city council may grant such an appeal by motion, upon written petition to the clerk of council, but in no case shall the further extension exceed 12 additional months. Violation by any person of any of the provisions of this article is hereby declared to be grounds for revocation of the occupational license for the business operated at that location. The director of the department of safety and permits is hereby authorized to seek any and all legal remedies including injunctive proceedings against the operation of public parking facilities at that location. (Code 1956, § 11-44; M.C.S., Ord. No. 24433, § 1, 6-2-11)

New Orleans City Code § 26-487 Parking lot attendants required; penalties and civil remedies.

Sec. 26-487. - Parking lot attendants required; penalties and civil remedies. (a) To ensure the safety and security of vehicles and vehicle owners, the following parking lots shall not be permitted to operate unless a parking lot attendant is physically present on site, or the operator shows proof of a contract with a security or enforcement agency that employs enhanced safety measures, such as uniforms, body cameras, and labeled vehicles that will patrol the lot, in accordance with the following: (1) Any parking lot within a ten-block radius of the Superdome, during the period beginning one hour before the commencement of, and ending one hour after the conclusion of any of the following events occurring at the Superdome or in Champions Square: (i) Any NFL game, (ii) Any college football or basketball game, (iii) Any Louisiana high school football championship game, (iv) Any event associated with Essence Festival, or (v) Any large concert or event at which attendance is reasonably expected to exceed 10,000 persons. (2) Any parking lot within a ten-block radius of the Smoothie King Center, during the period beginning one hour before the commencement of, and ending one hour after the conclusion of, any of the following events occurring at the Smoothie King Center: (i) Any NBA game, (ii) Any college basketball game, (iii) Any Louisiana high school basketball championship game, or (iv) Any large concert or event at which attendance is reasonably expected to exceed 10,000 persons. (3) Any parking lot within the Vieux Carré, or within a five-block radius of the Vieux Carré, during the period beginning at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 11:00 p.m. on each day of French Quarter Festival. (4) Any parking lot within a five-block radius of the Saenger Theatre, during period beginning one hour before the commencement of, and ending one hour after the conclusion of, any concert or other event occurring at the Saenger Theatre. (5) Any parking lot marketing itself to cruise-ship passengers for long-term parking, beginning one hour before the cruise departure, and ending one hour after the conclusion of the voyage. (6) Any parking lot within five blocks of an officially permitted Mardi Gras parade route, during the period beginning one hour before a parade, and ending one hour after the conclusion of a parade. (7) Any parking lot within a five-block radius of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, during the period beginning one hour before any Mardi Gras ball, and ending one hour after the conclusion of the ball. (b) A parking lot attendant employed pursuant to this section shall be stationed conspicuously and uniformed so as to deter criminal conduct and shall make regular patrols of the parking lot and vicinity. (c) The requirements of this section shall not apply to parking lots that do not permit parking by the general public in connection with any of the foregoing special events. (d) Each violation of the provisions of this section shall result in a fine of not more than $500.00. Following the third violation of this section, the city attorney shall seek an injunction or other remedy against the owner or operator of the parking lot to prevent violations of this article through civil proceedings. (M.C.S., Ord. No. 29358, § 1, 3-9-23)

Source: City of New Orleans, Code of Ordinances and Home Rule Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/la/new_orleans/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH26BUBUREHOST_ARTVIIMIREPALOFetched: 10/28/2026